Archive for the 'Covers' Category

Kendrick Lamar lands his second Rolling Stone cover of his career with the new August 24th issue and he blessed writer Brian Hiatt with a wide-ranging interview for the issue’s main feature. The pair spoke at length about the rapper’s stoic nature in the face of superstardom, how his upbringing in Compton is responsible for that nature and why actions speak louder than words with regard to resisting Trump and his minions. But throughout the interview, K.Dot fields questions about the culture of Hip-Hop and his opinions on what defines a great artist, and while he’s mostly just answering these questions honestly, his answers will almost certainly be interpreted as shots at some other Rap giants.

At one point he fields a couple of questions about ghostwriting in Rap and his definition of a “wack artist” and he answers unequivocally that you can’t call yourself the GOAT if you’re leaning on somebody else’s pen or riding somebody else’s wave. Later in the interview, he’s asked what his favorite Drake song is, and while he answers diplomatically, he declines to name a track. K.Dot also delves into the thought process behind DAMN and whether or not he consciously made an effort to make this album more accessible than his previous LP. He further speaks on lyricism as a commodity and notes that no matter how loud people clamor for bars, DJ’s are still going to spin music that gets people on the dancefloor.

I’ve included a few interesting excerpts below, but you can read the full Q&A here.

Lil Boat graces the cover of the new issue of FADER. In the cover story, Rembert Brown examines the enigma that is Yachty and his rapid rise as a representative of a whole generation of teenagers and his role as a punching bag for industry gatekeepers.

…inquiries into whether or not it’s all a schtick aren’t without warrant. And the more you keep digging, with the young rapper constantly providing reasons for you to question the seriousness of his professional existence, the more you’re forced to realize that the teens have changed the rules, and the easiest way to get left behind is to get hung up on reality.

XXL just revealed their 2017 Freshman Class, and while I like some of these guys, this might be the worst one yet. The 10 rappers selected are as follows: Kyle, Aminé, Ugly God, Playboi Carti, PnB Rock, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, MadeinTYO, Kap G, Kamaiyah and XXXTentacion.

Two predictions: the freestyles these guys are gonna drop for this campaign are gonna be a mess, and there are gonna be a bunch of rightfully disgruntled MC’s who didn’t make this list.

Vince Staples graces Complex’s latest digital cover and sits down with Toure for a question and answer session that briefly covers his new albumBig Fish Theory and is otherwise all over the place in true Staples fashion. Read the full interview here or watch it below.

FADER rolls out another cover for their Sex Issue featuring Lil Uzi Vert. The previous cover featured Brooklyn’s Young M.A. and was accompanied by a relatively enlightening profile. Writer Felipe Delerme tried valiantly to do the same for Vert, but he is apparently too famous now to sit for a proper FADER cover story or take any instruction during a photo shoot. At one point, he takes off his $1,000 Gucci loafers and throws them into the ocean. Seems like a real down to earth guy.

Young M.A. graces the cover of The FADER‘s inaugural Sex Issue. For the cover story, writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd gives us a glimpse of M.A.’s family life and her upbringing by a single mother that supported her identity as a lesbian woman from early on. The Brooklyn rapper talks about how it was relatively easy to come out in modern day Brooklyn and her complete lack of interest in being identified as “the dyke rapper” or having her sexuality perceived as her defining characteristic.

M.A. also laid down a freestyle in support of the cover and interview which you can check out below.

Chance The Rapper and The Weeknd go half on the cover of GQ‘s February issue. For his cover story, Chance spoke to Mark Anthony Green about the importance he places on his Grammy nominations, his iconic ‘3’ hats, dealing with his newfound celebrity (or lack thereof) his mentor Kanye West and why he’s not scared of the Trump presidency. Read the full article here and look for The Weeknd’s feature to arrive tomorrow.